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It’s no secret that I love Reese’s. If “Reese’s” was a real man, he would need a restraining order against me.

What is a lesser-known thing about me, is that I hate Reese’s pieces. To me, they are the bastard child of the Reese’s corporation. It’s weird, I know, because I love peanut butter so much (along with just about every other item that Reese’s makes), but these pieces… they just don’t do it for me. I think it’s because they lack the flavor contrast provided by the chocolate, nor do they have the saltiness that gives peanut butter such a special place in my heart.

They’re just… bland. Or something.

I don’t know what it is but I just don’t like them. (Give me a bag of peanut butter M&Ms, however, and I will eat it until I’m sick to my stomach)

But the BF, he loves Reese’s pieces. With a passion. They are pretty much his most favorite thing ever. Clearly if the person I love could love something so much, it can’t be all bad, right?

So, I tried to make something that would satisfy both his love of Reese’s pieces, and my love of everything else that is peanut butter in the world.

Turns out that he’s onto something, because this pie is pretty awesome.

This pie makes up for everything those poor pieces lack on their own, like chocolate. The pieces even help the pie out a bit, too, by offering a nice crunch to complement the otherwise creamy texture. In fact, I think that without the pieces, the pie might even be a little too creamy… if that’s really a thing?

I mean, you don’t want your mouth to get bored when you’re eating dessert. “Too creamy” will do that. Bore your mouth.

A little salty, a little sweet, a little creamy and a little crunch. Yeah, this pie has pretty much the best of everything… no boredom here.

And, if you’re not too fancy for a store-bought Oreo crust, you don’t even need to turn on the oven! Which is going to be a popular thing around here this month, since we are battling an excruciating heat wave.

It was 119 over the weekend.

So yeah… I’m not trying to turn the oven on anytime soon.

In fact, it’s been so hot that I’ve been thinking about testing that whole “baking cookies in your car” thing to see if it really works. I mean, if it works, what better place to test it? Put the cookies in my car on my lunch break, let them bake in the sun, get into a car that smells like fresh-baked cookies after work… I don’t see any way that this could possibly go wrong.

I’ve made this dessert in another way, once upon a time ago. I’m pretty sure all the pictures were taken with my old-school cell phone a million years ago. But this, this is a faster, easier version. If you want to make it the hard way, feel free to make every ounce of it from scratch following the directions here.

But since it’s summer, and it’s hot, and this is all about takin’ it easy, I recommend you follow this one below:

1. Toss chopped Reese’s Pieces, mini chocolate chips, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese with powdered sugar. Start slow, once incorporated mix at medium speed until cream cheese is smooth. Beat in peanut butter, milk, and ¼ cup of the “crunch”.

3. Stir in ¼ of the whipped cream to lighten the mixture. Once incorporated, stir in the rest of the “crunch” mixture (I left some aside to sprinkle on top). Then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream, being sure to scrape the bottom.

4. Pour peanut butter mixture into the crust and smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Cover with plastic wrap once the mousse firms.

5. To finish, heat heavy cream in the microwave until almost boiling (about 2 – 3 minutes). Add the chopped chocolate (I used leftover mini chocolate chips) and stir vigorously with a fork until it’s smooth and shiny. Pour the “ganache” over the pie, and smooth (or tilt the pie) to cover the top. Sprinkle with reserved crunch (if you saved some) and place the pie back in the refrigerator to set for at least 20 minutes.

I made this particular pie as an accompaniment to our regular pumpkin pie that I made for Thanksgiving. I wanted to try something new, but didn’t want to start some sort of Thanksgiving mutiny all over a pie, so I figured if I made TWO pies, then I could also make this one.

I know what you’re thinking, because I was thinking the same thing, “chocolate pumpkin pie??? weeeeird.” I know.

But at the same time, it seems like it should work, my logic was basically something along the lines of, “Chocolate? Good. Pumpkin? Good. Chocolate + Pumpkin? Double good?”

My first bite was like “woah, definitely tastes like chocolate”… like super chocolatey.

Then the second bite, “definitely tastes like pumpkin”… as the subtle pumpkin flavor came in for back-up.

“… but it tastes good” … Bite three, “It tastes really good”

Particularly with a touch of cinnamon whipped cream.

Now I realize fall is long gone, but that doesn’t mean my extreme love of pumpkin just packs its bags and goes to Florida for the winter.

Nope. My love of pumpkin persists all year long. So why couldn’t you make a pumpkin pie in January, or February, or even August?

I hope you can tell from the picture that this pie is amazingly creamy. The chocolate layer on the bottom protects the crust from getting soggy, providing a nice crunch to contrast with the smooth, creamy filling.

This pie has not one but three kinds of chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate. I had to lighten it a little bit for the BF since he’s not a fan of dark chocolate. I basically just replaced a portion of the chocolate at each step with milk chocolate.

I know a lot of you have some New Years resolutions to follow, but pumpkin is practically a health food, dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, and I’m sure your New Years diet doesn’t start until tomorrow, anyway…. Right?

2. Remove from oven, and sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over bottom of crust. Return to oven to melt chocolate, about 1 minute.
Spread chocolate in a thin layer on bottom and up sides. Let cool on a wire rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Make the filling

3. In a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt semisweet chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.
Remove from heat.

5. Transfer pie dish to a rimmed baking sheet, and pour pumpkin mixture into crust.
Bake until center is set but still a bit wobbly, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pie dish on a wire rack.
Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours (preferably overnight). Before serving, drizzle melted milk chocolate on top.

I don’t own a pie pan. Not a single one. I’ve contemplated buying one on many occasions, but then I always get hung up. Do I want glass? Seems like the right choice, it would give me a window to the pie crust to make sure it browns correctly. But ceramic is so much prettier, but usually significantly more expensive. Which leads us to metal, which is an affordable option, and a great heat conductor, but certainly not the prettiest option. And if it’s not going to look pretty, why do I need to buy a new one anyway?

Round and round I go in my head until I give up and end up in the baking aisle at the grocery store buying another foil pie tin.

Embarrassing. Right? A baker without pie plates. I should be ashamed.

But I’m not.

Luckily I don’t make pies often, I even found a completely pie-free pumpkiny dessert to bring along to Thanksgiving, ensuring I could go an entire year without touching a pie plate if I so chose. “Oh, did you say pie? I could have sworn you said to bring pumpkin cake!”

So, after years and years of being pumpkin pie-free, I had to give in. It is, after all, BF’s favorite pie. It seemed only right..

This pie is a far cry from the one you get from that can of “pumpkin pie filling” that you pick up at the store. With a sweet, pumpkiny custard nestled in a tender, flaky crust. Created and perfected by the geniuses over at Cooks Illustrated, this recipe has a “secret” ingredient (sweet potatoes) that somehow (I can only assume with magic) gives a pie with a more complex, even more pumpkiny flavor.

I was actually not even going to make this pie. I was going to make a completely different pie, but BFF demanded recommended that I make this one. Specifically.

So, prepare yourself for the smoothest, creamiest pumpkin pie your tastebuds have ever had the pleasure of encountering. It’s like a creamy, Thanksgiving hug for your mouth… and your tummy.

Despite being “perfected” in the Cook’s Illustrated test kitchens, I provided a few modifications. First, I would recommend a medium-mesh sieve, as I think my “fine-mesh” was a bit too fine (granted it’s “double mesh”), causing my to arm cramp up while I desperately tried to press the mixture through.

Also, I assume due to my tiny foil pie plate, only half of the filling fit into the pie crust, which means that TECHNICALLY you could get two pumpkin pies out of this recipe, or you could use a deep dish pie plate for a nice custardy pumpkin pie. I took a “two is better than one” stance on the issue and decided it meant I had one pie for me and one pie for the family (that wasn’t already cut into pieces for photographs and taste tested for quality assurance). Lucky them, right?

Oh, and a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream never hurt anyone. Not anyone that I’ve ever met at least…

While oven is preheating, roll pie dough to 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick and press into pie plate, crimping the edge when finished. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until firm.

Now you are going to “blind bake” your pie crust. To do this, you will want to prick holes in the bottom with a fork, then line the inside of the crust with foil. Fill the foil with pie weights of your choice (I used coins, because I don’t own real pie weights. That would just be silly since I don’t even own a pie plate! If you feel silly filling your pie with pennies, you can use pie weights or uncooked beans or rice). Bake crust on rimmed baking sheet 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights, rotate plate and bake 5 to 10 more minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove plate and baking sheet from oven.

While pie shell is baking, whisk half and half, eggs, yolks and vanilla together in medium bowl. Combine pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer, stirring constantly and mashing yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes. If you’re not satisfied with your mashing abilities (as I was not) feel free to puree your pumpkin mixture with a blender stick. I don’t care if it’s cheating, I still couldn’t smoosh it through my stupid sieve, so good luck if you’re relying on your “mashing” abilities.

I know this recipe has been “perfected”, but I don’t ever stir anything with raw eggs directly into something hot. So I first whisked a cup or so of the heated pumpkin into the egg/cream mixture, and then poured all of that back into the pumpkin pan and whisked until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through fine(OR MEDIUM)-mesh strainer set over a large bowl, using the back of a ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer.

Re-whisk mixture and transfer to your warm pre-baked pie shell. Return pie plate (now filled with custard) still on the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until edges are set 20 to 35 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175 degrees. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool completely, 2 to 3 hours. The pie will finish cooking with resident heat, so be sure to cool it at room temperature and not in the refrigerator. Once cooled, you can transfer it to the refrigerator.

NOTE: I would recommend a medium-mesh sieve, as I think my “fine-mesh” was a bit too fine, and my arm cramped up trying to press the mixture through. Also, I assume due to my tiny foil pie plate, only half of the filling fit into the pie crust, which means that TECHNICALLY you could get two pumpkin pies out of this recipe, or you could use a deep dish pie plate for a nice custardy pumpkin pie.

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoon powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Whip cream with cold bowl and cold beaters until it gets bubbly. Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and continue beating to desired consistency, voila. (If you want to whip your cream even faster, make it with an immersion blender. You’ll never go back to whisks again)

Few things are associated with America, fall, or thanksgiving quite like apple pie. There is something about the time of year that requires apple pies to be made. May or may not have something to do with apples being in season… nah, I’m sure it’s completely unrelated. Definitely something to do with pilgrims and indians and apples… then America was made and everyone feasted on apple pie a la mode… yeah, that sounds about right.

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Back east, we have tons of apple orchards, you just go and pick your very own apples, watch some turn into cider, pet some farm animals, get a hot apple fritter, and bring however many pounds of apples you’ve acquired home for fresh apple pie, apple cobbler, apple sauce, or just plain apples.

The apples here are sad when compared to the ones back home, but just like lemonade from lemons, when life gives you apples…. No, don’t make apple-aid. Pie will do just fine. There are a lot of different apple pie camps. Not only is there debate over which apples to use – granny smith, macon, macintosh, golden delicious… So many varieties of apples are available they’ll make your head spin. And then there’s the crust – single crust, double crust, thick or thin crusts… Where’s a girl to start.

Well, for this girl at least, it starts with streusel. Not only does streusel make everything infinity better, it gives this pie a welcome ‘crunch’ that accents the soft apples and makes your mouth go “wow”. Not literally, of course, because then you’d be spilling apple pie out of your mouth, and what a waste of apple pie that would be, I don’t care how shocked you are. Swallow first, then “wow”. There will be no wasting of apple pie in my home. None.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Just when you thought you were done, a drizzle of caramel takes it to the next level – taking the pie up a notch from “apple pie” to “caramel apple pie”… That’s right. I went there. Mmmm … caramel… (did anyone else hear Homer Simpson in their head?)

For my pie, I used a mixture of pretty much whatever I could get my hands on at the store. The apples here don’t carry the same heft as back home, but they worked out just fine. I used, I believe, 2 granny smiths, 2 macintosh, and perhaps even a pink lady. With the added sweetness of the streusel and caramel though, feel free to stick with the tart granny smith for more flavor contrast. Otherwise, mix and match to your heart’s content.

The only thing in this world that I love more than peanut butter, is when you combine it with chocolate. This pie is from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: My Home to Yours” She calls it a “torte” in her book, but I … Continue reading →